Education

THE QUANTITY SURVEYOR

A Quantity Surveyor (QS) is a Development and Construction Cost Adviser in Building, Civil and Engineering projects.

The Quantity Surveyor is the Financial Expert in all matters relating to Buildings, Civil and other Engineering projects. The Quantity Surveyor is often referred to as a Cost Accountant of the Construction Industry.

 

DUTIES OF QUANTITY SURVEYOR

The duties of a Quantity Surveyor inter alia include the following:

  • Carrying out feasibility studies of capital projects.
  • Cost modeling which means preparation of cost estimates, budgets, cost planning, monitoring and control cost, as well as cost research.
  • Contract documentation which includes preparation of Bills of Quantities and other tender documents, giving advice on tendering/bidding procedures, contractual arrangement and tender evaluation and analysis.
  • Contract administration which includes certification of payments, cost reporting, overseeing contract related processes, conditions & details and compiling of final accounts.
  • Project management which means the co-ordination of the efforts of all the consultants and contractors from the inception of the project to completion in order to achieve desired result within pre-determined time and cost framework.

The Quantity Surveyor is also very useful in the following areas:

  • Arbitration in case of disputes between the client and the contractor.
  • Being an expert witness in case of litigation.

 

WAYS TO QUALIFICATION AS A QUANTITY SURVEYOR

  • A four-year full time (or five year part-time) B.Sc (Hons) (Quantity Surveying) university degree.
  • A three-year university of technology diploma advancing to a B-Tech (Quantity Surveying) degree after a further year of study.
  • A three-year university of science and technology B.o (Quantity Surveying) degree and a four-year B.o (Hons) (Quantity Surveying).

  • Within all these levels of entry a route exists for advancement to full registration as a professional Quantity Surveyor. Please contact the Namibia Council for Architects and Quantity Surveyors (NCAQS) for more information.

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